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In reply to the discussion: (UK) NHS rationing is putting health at risk, says doctors' leader [View all]TexasBushwhacker
(20,043 posts)The thing is, you need to have the dialogue with your family before you get ill and you need to put your wishes in writing in the form of a living will. I think we have to question the wisdom of doing elaborate and expensive procedures and treatments on the elderly. Neil Armstrong underwent surgery for blocked coronary arteries on August 7th and died less than 3 weeks later. That was an expensive and risky surgery that ultimately didn't extend his life. At 82, how much could they expect to extend his life anyway?
I've lost both my parents. They were both on Medicare. My mother chose to discontinue chemotherapy because it wasn't helping anymore, even though her oncologist was willing to continue treating her. Of course she was willing. She was still getting paid by Medicare! My father died from complications following a massive stroke. One of his doctors told his wife that he would never recover, but she refused to accept that. So she let the other doctors put in a pacemaker, and then a feeding tube, and then when he got a 4th degree bedsore on his tailbone they did a colostomy and eventually put him on a ventilator. This was over a span of 4 months, about 6 weeks in ICU. I can't even begin to imagine how much Medicare was charged for my father to die. Not for him to live. That was never going to happen. For him to die. All I can hope is that he wasn't in any physical pain. There are doctors and hospitals who will treat and charge as much as they can to Medicare and Medicaid, even if it's not in the best interest of the patient. We as patients and caregivers need to make that stop.